[This “pledge” was written at the beginning of the Gulf War
in January 1991 and was reprinted in newspapers across the country.]

An American Pledge

As an
American who, craving peace, cherishes my country and
the humane freedom it represents, I pledge:

That
while thousands of young Americans’ lives are on the line, I will demonstrate
to them my fullest love and support;

That
when they return I will let them know the depth of my gratitude for the
sacrifice they are making or may make;

That
I will affirm the justice of this war against the attacks of those who at all
times, in peace as in war, disdain all that America
does and is;

That
I will give no aid or comfort to the enemy, and will develop no tolerance for
those who do;

That
I will welcome all calm discussion working through democratic process; and

That,
though hating the tyrant, I will not let the passions of war diminish the love
and compassion that I feel toward men and women of all nations and faiths, who
though imperfect like me, have their own magnificence.

Dwight D. Murphey

Note in 2007: Although
this pledge was fully appropriate for the Gulf War in 1991, it should not be
understood as an endorsement of the invasion of Iraq
in 2003, and of the conduct of the war in the years thereafter.It is a tragedy that the same sentiments
cannot fully apply.Murphey has stated
his opposition to the 2003 invasion and to the entire project of American
global hegemony in his various articles and book reviews since the turn of the
century.See A84, BR95, BR92, BR88, BR87,
BR80—and especially BR54.